Matrimony means the state of being married: marriage.
Patrimony means an estate or heritage from one’s father or ancestors.
Apparently, it’s important for women to get married. It’s important for men to own things they didn’t pay for.
Both words originated in Latin based on the words for “mother” and “father” respectively. I conclude that something asymmetrical has been going on in both English and Latin for a long time.
Sue Burke 
I never thought of this. Very apt observation! I’ve always been thinking about matriarchy and patriarchy, which are fairly balanced terms, but never about matrimony and patrimony.
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Agreed! Thank you for this observation. The are undoubtedly the product of unjust asymmetries in English and Latin which reflect the very same within the cultural lives of the speakers of English and Latin.
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Not sure you have this correct. Matrimony translates to the act or condition of mothering from Latin, which speaks to the purpose of marriage. And probably why it was chosen as the word for marriage…bringing life into the world and making it flourish is the point of marriage. Patrimony then would be the act or condition of fathering, which would speak to how the purpose is provided for. So instead of being “unbalanced” this terms speak of purpose and what each is giving mutually to each other and the other lives that might come into the marraige.
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